The present invention is concerned with the installation of hangers for the attachment of the ends of joists to a header beam.
Hangers are used in building construction for securing the ends of joists to the sides of a single beam, termed a header, with a problem being encountered in achieving joist attachment in a rapid, uniform and precise manner. Irregularities in such attachment result in a floor or roof structure being other than level and of less than optimum strength. A further problem encountered in the securing joists to a header beam is the time spent by a the worker in the positioning and subsequent attachment of a hanger, in the vertical, to the header. It is common practice to use a square or level for marking the header prior to hanger attachment. Needless to say such added effort when totaled amounts to considerable time in view of the fact that several hangers are usually attached to a single header in the construction of a typical home or frame building. Hangers incorrectly set entail further time consuming efforts.
In the prior art efforts to facilitate the attachment of hangers to headers has included the tool disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,755, in which a hanger is installed and retained during affixing of the hanger to a header using a hammer to drive hanger prongs into the header. The tool defines a slot in which the web of a U-shaped hanger is initially inserted. The tool is then manually abutted against the header and retained in place by a spring biased clamp. With the hanger and tool in place on the header a second operation involves hammering the hanger prongs in the usual fashion into the header. A degree of difficulty is encountered by reason that the user must accomplish driving hanger prongs located closely adjacent to the sides of the tool without contact with and displacement of the tool and hanger. Further, the temporary installation of the tool on a header utilizes a spring biased clamp may be susceptible to permitting displacement of the tool during hammering resulting in a mis-mounted hanger being out of the vertical. For one reason or another the tool disclosed to the extent known, appears to not have found wide acceptance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,095 discloses a tool for attaching a hanger onto a header for subsequent installation of joists with the tool including an angular, upward extending rod which is adjustable to support the tool at different distances from the upper edge of the header. A hanger is slid into place within vertical slots of the tool followed by nailing of the hanger flanges to the header. A web portion of the hanger is carried within a slot in the tool main body. Securement of the hanger to a header is by nailing which is typical of hanger installation.